Country Comfort & Billy Kaui - "The Very Best of"

This one is a little bit of a cheat because I made my own compilation of the Hawaiian Music group Country Comfort. I took all 14 songs that are featured on the regular disc, pictured left, and then added nine more songs which basically gave me all of the group's music on one disc.

Country Comfort were a Contemporary Hawaiian Music band of the mid-1970s. Their music while linked to Hawaii was all sung in English language and is actually closer in style to the folk rock of Bread, James Taylor or Crosby, Stills, and Nash. They did mix in Hawaiian slack key guitar stylings into their arrangements and their songs often focused on issues facing Hawaii as well as universal love songs.

The group was a notoriously rowdy bunch and truly lived the rock and roll lifestyle. They were notorious for drinking heavily and using hard drugs like heroin and pills. Their live performances often ended in the band members passing out in the middle of songs and/or throwing equipment (like mike stands and guitars) at each other. Radio DJ and Concert promoter Tom Moffatt was their band manager and he vowed to never manage a band again after his experiences.

All of that aside they did make some great music including their 1974 debut "We Are the Children" which is considered by many to be one of the finest albums in Hawaiian Music. The music not only was catchy and well made but it also dealt with social problems facing Hawaii at the time like the big hit "Waimanalo Blues," which spoke of Hawaii's overdevelopment. The songs also connected with the era's disaffected college students and high schoolers who bought up the album in droves.

Due to all the bands internal problems it took them two years to record their second album "Country Comfort II" which at the time of release was considered a failure but in retrospect it is quite a strong album. The band broke up shortly after the album's release, unofficial leader of the group Billy Kaui cleaned up his act and released a self titled solo album in 1977. The album seemed to be his stepping stone to solo success but he tragically passed away from a brain hemorrhage a few months later.

This hits compilation collects some of the best songs from Country Comfort's two releases and Kaui's solo album. While it is an excellent compilation and a perfect introduction to the group as I said earlier it can easily be turned into a complete disc. Either way I think everyone needs a little Country Comfort to ease away their Blues, Waimanalo or otherwise.